Los Alamos County Community Services Department invites the public to view the latest addition to a vibrant downtown Los Alamos and to join in Wednesday’s grand opening ceremony of the skateboard park.

The park, designed with input from local young people, who are the true experts on what makes a great skate park, other community members and County staff, was professionally built by California Skateparks, Inc. and includes state of the art features.

In addition to banks and boxes, the park even includes a “Bump-to-Bump,” a special feature normally set up just for competitions — this is only the second permanent installation of it in the United States.

California Skateparks, Inc. has successfully built skate parks throughout the country and many in New Mexico and local skaters are excited about the brand new one in Los Alamos.

As one young skater, Josh Martinez said during early planning stages of the park, “I really like skating. I just want to have somewhere we can have fun and enjoy it.”

“It’s just us and our free time,” said Elliot Marcille, another eager skater. “The park is looking amazing. We can’t wait to start skating it!” Marcille is a Los Alamos skateboarder who helped advocate for the new downtown skate park.

The skate park features are designed to be permanent allowing multiple uses at different times.

Looking like a half-acre sized contemporary earthwork sculpture, the park was designed as a multi-use structure: though the primary use of the facility will be as a skate park, it can also be used for small art shows, musicians and other community events.

The park is surrounded by landscaping and includes seating to relax or to watch the skaters or performers.

The library’s memorial benches are arranged in an adjacent semicircle as part of the new design.

Community Services Director Stephani Johnson praised all that have been involved.

“I can’t tell you how many people have been a part of this project, from the young people themselves to the adults who supported them in their effort, to the various County departments that made this happen,” Johnson said. “It has been a long, but fruitful process.”

The celebration will begin at 3:30 p.m. with a ribbon cutting and skating, along with skate videos showing in the library lobby. Pizza will be served courtesy of the Friends of Mesa Public Library. There will be great giveaways too, including helmets from the Police Department for safe skating.